For production of 2-benzylphenol compound, there has been known, for example, a process which comprises subjecting 2-benzyloxyphenyl magnesium bromide and a benzaldehyde to a condensation reaction and then subjecting the reaction product to catalytic reduction to give rise to deprotection and dehydroxylation simultaneously (reference is made to Patent Literatures 1 and 2). In this process, however, it is essential to bond a protecting group to 2-bromophenol used as a raw material, then conduct a Grignard reaction, thereafter conduct deprotection; therefore, there have been various problems, for example, the steps are many and the operation is complicated, the use of metallic magnesium (which is unstable in the air) makes difficult the handling, the catalytic reduction requires a special high-pressure reactor in many cases, various counter-measures for safety need be taken in each step, and isomers are formed in some cases.
Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2001-08239
Patent Literature 2: WO 02/28872